Zydon Lightbourne Furbert, one of Bermuda’s most promising sportsmen, has left the island to further his career at Montverde Academy in Florida.

Lightbourne Furbert, who has represented Bermuda internationally in football and track, became a Montverde student on Tuesday after being home-schooling since leaving Warwick Academy last summer.

At Montverde, the 15-year-old joins a growing community of Bermudian athletes at the school, including Amaris Munya, Arima Turner, Miles Outerbridge and Elise Dickinson.

On Sunday, Lightbourne Furbert posted a photograph with his Somerset Trojans team-mates on Instagram announcing he was starting a new journey. The winger played for the Trojans under-15 and under-18.

“This chapter has come to an end and I just want to thank God for all the opportunities he has blessed me with,” Lightbourne Furbert said.

“Onto the next chapter and it will be a big one. I just want to thank all of my family and friends who have supported me through everything, you will always hold a special place in my heart.

“I’m praying that God will guide me through this new journey because as we know God’s timing is always right.

“A special thanks to my wonderful mother for everything she has sacrificed so much for me and to my grandparents for leaving their home so I can pursue my dreams.”

According to Kalita Furbert, the athlete’s mother, the youngster’s move to Montverde took a while to materialise.

“We had visa and passport difficulties, which delayed the start,” she told The Royal Gazette.

“At the beginning of last year, we had to choose between IMG Academy and Montverde Academy. We decided to choose Montverde and he was due to start in August, but unfortunately we were unable to do that due to passport and visa delays, so we decided to move in January this year.

“He is not on a scholarship. IMG gave us huge financial aid but Montverde did not give much.

“Our ultimate goal is for him to come out here and get noticed. The first year will be the hardest for us financially, but once he gets noticed we think things will be a little easier and scholarships will come.

“My parents have temporarily relocated with him and he will be a day student, not a boarding student. He will be doing football and track, so his schedule will be very busy.

“He will be playing for the junior varsity team, but he will be training with the older age group to get more exposure. His first football game is on Saturday at Montverde.”

The mother delved into the reasons why they settled for Montverde instead of IMG.

“Financially even though we got good financial aid, it was still fairly expensive to take him to IMG,” she said.

“Zydon felt that academically he would probably do better at Montverde. They have some strict academic rules andyou can’t play if your GPA is below a certain grade, so he feels that focus on academics is what he needs.”

The young footballer is expected to be part of the Bermuda team seeking to qualify for the Fifa Under-17 World Cup in February. The Aaron Denkins-coached team is heading to Honduras, where they will play against the host nation, Guyana and Surinam, from February 3 to 12.

Bermuda have to finish top of group H to qualify for the World Cup, which takes place in Qatar later this year.

The sprinter represented Bermuda for the first time in the 200 and 400 metres at the Carifta Games in Trinidad & Tobago last year. He is also eyeing qualification for the 2026 edition of the annual athletics competition, which will be held in Grenada from April 4 to 6.